


Family Values

by misumaru



Category: Jrock, the GazettE
Genre: Angst, Horror, M/M, Oral Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-31
Updated: 2014-10-31
Packaged: 2018-02-23 08:33:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2541212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misumaru/pseuds/misumaru
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A simple trip to formally introduce Kai to Uruha's parents turns out to have a darker purpose. Much, much darker...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family Values

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the [uruai](http://uruai.livejournal.com/) Halloween Monster Mash, for the prompt Eldritch Abomination. Big hugs to [ldybastet](http://archiveofourown.org/users/LdyBastet) for the beta and hand holding, and I apologise muchly for traumatising her... 
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I am in no way affiliated with the GazettE or PSC. This is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to real events or people is purely coincidental.

Kai shivered as he wrapped his arms around himself, the damp robe doing nothing to keep out the cold. The murky water was up to his waist now – had it always been that high? He wasn’t sure. It was so hard to keep track of time down here, he could have been waiting here alone in the dark for a few hours or a few minutes, seconds stretching into eternity. 

It wasn’t completely dark though, no. A faint glow lit the centre of the room, highlighting a large, ornately carved box. Whether the light came from some crack in the ceiling or some other, unearthly source, he couldn’t say. All he knew was that he wanted be as far away from it as possible if… when it opened. 

Uruha would be here soon, right? After all, this was all his fault. He was the one that had brought Kai here.

No, not brought. 

Left.

Kai swallowed a bitter laugh at the memory. Funny, he’d been so happy just a day ago…

***  
“I want to introduce you to my parents.”

Kai peered at Uruha over the top of his laptop from his perch on Uruha’s sofa, brows wrinkled in confusion at the sudden announcement. “What are you talking about? I’ve met your parents.”

“You’ve met them, sure, but I want to formally introduce you.”

What was Uruha talking about now? Kai watched the uncomfortable way Uruha fidgeted until a light bulb finally went off in his head. “Oh! You mean as…” He made a series of explicit gestures with his hands. “Are you sure?”

“We’ve been dating for over a year now, I don’t see why not. Unless you can think of a reason?”

Kai thought about Uruha’s parent’s briefly. They’d seemed nice enough when they turned up at gigs in the past and had never openly opposed Uruha’s decision to follow the rock star lifestyle, unlike some parents he could think of, so they should hopefully treat Uruha’s little romantic revelation calmly, right? Emphasis on hopefully…

He shook his head and snapped the lid of the laptop shut, putting it to one side. “When do you want to do it? I think we have a few free weeks coming up soon, why not then?”

“Tomorrow.”

“What??” Kai wanted to laugh at the bluntness of the request, but Uruha’s expression was so serious… “Why tomorrow?”

“I’ve been meaning to tell you, but I have to go back tomorrow anyway. Important family stuff, you know? Was kind of hoping it’d get cancelled...” Uruha looked so sheepish, looking at the floor and shuffling his feet about while he explained, that Kai was almost willing to forgive him for his forgetfulness. Almost.

“Does it have to be tomorrow? I’ve got so much to get done, can’t you just go alone and I’ll come with you the next time you go back?”

Uruha knelt in front of Kai, taking his hands in a pleading gesture. “It has to be tomorrow. Please? It would mean a lot to me.”

Damn Uruha, he always knew exactly how to push Kai’s buttons. He sighed and squeezed Uruha’s hands in return. “Fine. But you owe me one!”

“Not for long…” Uruha grinned and dropped Kai’s hands, reaching for his belt buckle instead and pulling down the zipper. 

Kai’s head dropped back against the back of the sofa as Uruha began to suck. One of these days he’d learn how to say no to Uruha, he really would…

 

The journey was mostly uneventful to begin with. Uruha drove, so Kai alternated between playing on his handheld and chatting with Uruha, trying to help keep his eyes open during the long drive. It slowly dawned on Kai though that the unfamiliar scenery was even more unfamiliar than usual. Shouldn’t they have hit the town by now? All Kai could see was endless trees in every direction. Sure, Uruha’s family lived out in the sticks, but it wasn’t _that_ remote. Not really.

“Are we lost?”

“No, we’re just not going to my home.”

“So where are we going then?” Kai couldn’t quite manage to keep the annoyance out of his voice. An unexpected trip was one thing, but an unexpected trip to the middle of nowhere? What was Uruha thinking?

“I didn’t want to tell you beforehand, but…We’re going to a big family gathering. Don’t freak out?”

“I’m not freaking out!” That might have been a lie. Kai leaned back against his seat and sighed, watching even more trees go by. Parents he could cope with, but a whole family? And why all the secrecy around this damn trip? Uruha hadn’t lied to him, exactly, but that was pretty big omission of the truth. Why make such an important announcement at a big gathering instead of something smaller and more private?

Now that he thought about it, Uruha looked pretty damn miserable. Whatever this thing was, maybe he wanted Kai along for moral support? This wasn’t the time to pick a fight anyway. He’d just have to make Uruha pay when they got back. “Forget it, it doesn’t matter.”

Very softly, so faint that Kai was almost sure he imagined it, Uruha murmured a reply. “But it does.”

 

Kai could hardly believe his eyes when they finally arrived at their destination – the place was practically a temple! A little faded round the edges, sure, but still imposing against the darkening sky. What the hell kind of family would meet in a place like this? He wasn’t even sure that Uruha was religious…

He glanced over at Uruha. His hands were still clutching at the steering wheel, grip so hard his knuckles had turned white. Kai reached over and patted the back of Uruha’s hand reassuringly. “Nervous?”

“You have no idea.” Uruha gave him a weak grin in return and switched the engine off, just as the first heavy drops of late autumn rain hammered against the windscreen. “Damn it. Got an umbrella?”

“Nope. Going to have to make a run for it.”

“After you then…” 

More than a little drenched, they ran up the steps to the temple, just managing to avoid running over several other arriving family members in the process. At the very least, Uruha’s parents seemed pleased to see them both, and acted completely unsurprised when Uruha took them to one side and gave them the little speech detailing the full nature of their relationship. He wasn’t complaining, but Kai thought there might have been more questions or something? Unless they were far more obvious about it then they thought? Or maybe Uruha had already made a few hints?

Whatever the reason, they acted more than welcoming to Kai, bowing deeply and thanking him for taking care of their son. They showed them both to their room, then dragged Uruha away claiming “family business”, and that he’d be back soon enough.

Left alone, Kai dropped his bags at the foot of the double futon that had been laid out for them and paused. How did they know that he and Uruha would be sharing? It didn’t seem like it had been a snap decision either – the grey kimono placed on the bed for him to wear was just his size, and he hadn’t seen Uruha’s parents talk to anyone else between their discussion and the walk to the room… Maybe Uruha really had already said something?

Shaking off the growing sense of unease, Kai shed his wet clothes and put on the kimono, then started to poke around the room. It was just as grand as the entrance had been, with only a few heavy cobwebs clinging to the ceiling to hint at recent disuse, and an ornate tapestry completely covering one side of the room. Curious, Kai went in for a closer inspection. It looked like it depicted a festival of some kind, villagers in dark clothing gathered around a raised plinth holding up a box. The box was embroidered in far more detail than the rest of the scene, thin threads of gold woven through to represent detailed carvings, making it stand out in stark contrast to the crowd of villagers. The more Kai looked, the more it seemed that the lid was ajar, wisps of something black just starting to emerge. Was it smoke? Hair? He blinked. Actually, had that been there before? He’d been sure it was shut. Kai raised one hand, compelled to reach out and touch it, just to see…

“You look good.”

Kai snapped out of his trance and turned to see Uruha leaning against the doorframe, wearing a similar kimono. Now that did make the trip worth it, as Kai admired the way the material hung off of Uruha’s lean frame, exposing just a tantalising hint of bare chest. “Speak for yourself. Everything go ok with your parents?”

“Fine.” Uruha brushed the question off with a shrug, but it wasn’t convincing, his movements a little jerky.

“You sure? You don’t look fine.”

“I’m just tired.” Uruha came over and joined him in front of the tapestry. “I’ve always hated this damn thing.”

“It is pretty intimidating. What’s it meant to be?”

“Ah, you’re being granted a rare glimpse into the messed up history of my family. This is an ancient festival that was held every twenty years to honour the family god, ensuring prosperity, long life… That kind of thing. We’ve always been very traditional.”

“And the box?” Kai made to tap at the image on the tapestry, but Uruha caught his wrist mid-way, steering him away from touching the material.

“A container for the god. Best if you don’t touch it.”

A chill ran through Kai as he gazed at the dense black section of material again, suddenly extremely grateful that Uruha had stopped him from touching it. “Creepy.”

“Yeah.” Uruha heaved a sigh. “Look, this is going to sound odd, but can we leave right after dinner?”

Now that Uruha was close, Kai could see that he really didn’t look fine at all, skin pale and eyes rimmed red from more than just exhaustion. He reached out and stroked the side of Uruha’s face. “Did something happen with your parents?”

“Kind of. I don’t want to talk about it.”

Kai certainly wasn’t going to push or complain about the request. As nice as Uruha’s parents had seemed, he didn’t relish the thought of being around so many unknown family members, or having to sleep in the same room as the intimidating tapestry. “You’ve been driving all day though… You’re sure you don’t want to rest a bit first?”

Uruha shook his head. “I don’t care, I just don’t want to be here tonight.”

Kai took Uruha’s hand into his and squeezed. “Ok. You know I can’t say no to you.”

A polite cough from behind made them both turn to see a random cousin standing in the doorway. “Dinner’s ready. They’re waiting for you.”

“Guess we’d better go.” Uruha rolled his eyes. “We leave as soon as we get a chance, ok?”

 

Following Uruha and their guide through the seemingly never-ending series of identical, dusty corridors, Kai realised that he would never be able to find his way around this place on his own. Not even with a map! Why did Uruha’s family feel the need to gather in such a place, anyway? Uruha didn’t really talk about his background much, mostly just what his sisters had gotten up to, but he’d never given Kai the impression that they were anything out of the ordinary. Certainly not a family that had a history of holding rituals. Which reminded Kai… “Are your sisters here?”

Uruha didn’t look back. “No, they can’t be here for this.”

Can’t? Odd choice of wording, but Kai let it slide as they finally arrived in the dining hall and he was dazzled by the sheer amount of food on display, then inundated with a series of family introductions that he could never hope to remember in a million years. He finally managed to take a seat next to Uruha near the head of the table, and a plate was quickly shoved under his nose as he was ambushed by a horde of the more elderly relatives. The assault was relentless as he tried to eat – yes, Uruha was a lovely boy, and yes, Kai was very lucky to have him. No… They hadn’t tried that, or that, or… was that even legal? 

A commotion at the end of the table dragged Kai’s attention away from the wizened women surrounding him. Someone he vaguely recognised being introduced to as an uncle was causing a scene, knocking dishes over as he waved his sake cup around. Kai was almost grateful for the distraction, allowing him a good reason to ignore the chattering old women for a moment, but the more he watched, the more he developed a growing sense of worry. He got the feeling that the various glares and muttered rants were being directed towards him…

An even louder crash sounded as a dish was sent skittering across the floor. Uruha’s mother grabbed the edge of the uncle’s sleeve, trying to pull him the way from the table and hissing as she did so. “Stop this! You’re making Kai uncomfortable.”

“That’s the least of his problems.” The man snorted and shook her arm away. “And why should I care? I lost my wife last time, and for what? A minor rockstar in the family? You can’t tell me that’s worth it. Besides, it won’t work.” He jabbed one finger viciously at Uruha, then Kai. “He doesn’t want to do it, and he’s a he.”

Kai looked at Uruha for some idea of what the hell was going on, but Uruha shook his head and whispered in Kai’s ear. “We should leave. Now.”

He made to follow Uruha’s lead, but turned one last time to see that the uncle was looking at him with an unpleasant grin. “Doesn’t matter now, anyway.”

Hit by a sudden wave of dizziness, Kai paused. He was aware of Uruha tugging at his sleeve, urging him to get moving, but everything suddenly seemed so distant and out of focus. When did he become so tired? Kai blinked as the room swam around him. Maybe he should just close his eyes for a second, then he could get up and follow Uruha. Just for a second…

 

It was dark. That was the first thing Kai registered as he came to. Darkness, with a scattering of pinpoints of light that gradually revealed themselves to be candles held by robed figures. This was what Uruha meant when he said his family was ‘traditional’ then?

One of the little old ladies from dinner forced him to his feet, previously sweet grin now sinister under her hood. “On your feet, dearie. Not time to sleep now, no, that comes later.” 

It was easier said than done, Kai’s hands were bound in front of him and it was difficult to balance, but he somehow struggled to his feet. As he did so, the figures parted and Uruha was shoved in front of him, a knife held in his hands and a large bruise covering one side of his face. “I didn’t think they’d drug your food.”

“Can we just say you didn’t think?” 

Sarcasm in the face of certain death? Probably not the best response, but all of the pieces were starting to click into horrifying place. The secrecy, the tapestry, the remote location… Uruha obviously hadn’t done it willingly, the bruise made that clear, but the bile still rose in the back of Kai’s throat at the thought of his betrayal. If this happened every 20 years, then Uruha would have been present before – what exactly was he thinking would happen? That everyone would just agree to let Kai go and send them happily on their way? Kai should have just stayed with his work. Why was Uruha so hard to say no to?

A sharp pain in the side of his ribs jolted Kai from his thoughts as he was prodded again, forcing him to stumble a few steps forward. The old woman gestured ahead of them with her stick and the gathered cultists parted to form a corridor. “Follow him.”

Uruha led the way, Kai trailing behind after a few more sharp jabs. Uruha’s steps were hesitant and uncertain, but every time he paused for more than a second, a cultist would step forward, candlelight casting long shadows over the features under the hood and reminding Uruha that he had no choice.

Kai had no idea where he was, the long corridors indistinguishable in the darkness. He’d been right earlier, a map wouldn’t have helped. Hell, given the strange way the shadows twisted and warped as they walked, he wasn’t even entirely sure that the building had the same layout. There was no worry of them getting lost, candles clearly marked their path, even if the number of people there to hold them became sparser. That wasn’t a relief.

During one quiet stretch, Uruha took a chance and spoke, pitching his voice as low as he could for Kai still to be able to hear him. “I’m sorry. I really hoped they would change their minds once they found out who you were. It’s always the oldest son’s wife, but…”

“Right.” They kept walking, their footsteps echoing throughout the silent hallways. “Y’know, you were kind of an idiot to bring me here.”

A soft, sad chuckle sounded behind him. “Yeah. Can I make it up to you later?”

“There’s going to _be_ a later?”

Uruha stayed quiet after that, until they reached their final destination – a huge, heavily barred door. Two cultists pushed the thick plank of wood keeping the door shut up as Uruha cut Kai’s bonds with the knife, leaving Kai rubbing his wrists as he adjusted to the faint light coming from the room ahead of them. As dim as it was, it was almost blinding after the trail of candles and seemed to be coming from behind a large, black…

Box. 

It was the box from the tapestry.

Kai turned to try and run, but was shoved heavily into the room, landing on his back in a pool of fetid water. The room was almost submerged, apart from the area where the box sat. As he pulled himself to his feet, the door slammed shut behind him, something clattering on the doorstep as the various bolts and bars were noisily pushed back into place on the other side. Kai frowned as he picked it up and examined it. The knife? How exactly was _that_ supposed to help him?

If this was Uruha’s idea of helping, then Kai wasn’t impressed. He tested the door experimentally, but it wouldn’t budge, not even if he hammered against it, and he could just about hear a key turning in the lock. They didn’t like to take chances, did they? 

With nothing else to do, Kai stepped out into the water.

 

*** 

That was then. 

Kai had explored the room as thoroughly as he dared, knife clutched tightly in his hand as he searched for any possible way out – another door, a suspicious crack in the wall, anything. He had even strained his ears trying to hear the slightest movement outside in the hallway, but it was useless. No-one was there. There was only one way out, and it was barred and locked. He’d been left here, sacrificed to be eaten by some bullshit ancient deity or to die of pneumonia. Neither fate appealed. Kai slumped with back against the door, defeated. Maybe he couldn’t escape, but he could at least try to be as far away from that damn box as possible.

A hysterical laugh bubbled up from the back of his throat – hey, if this thing was real and was meant to help Uruha’s family out, then maybe they’d finally become the biggest band in Japan. They’d have to find a new drummer, sure, but they’d managed it before…

He heard a pattering. At first he thought it was more water, running down from some hole in the roof, but the louder it got the more it sounded like footsteps. It must have been his imagination – Uruha wouldn’t come back for him now. They wouldn’t leave him alone long enough to let him try and attempt a rescue, would they? Despite his common sense telling him otherwise, a tiny flare of hope welled up in Kai as the noise drew closer, that died as, slowly and inexorably, the lid of the box began to slide open.

His heart pounded in his chest. Could that be the sound of the bar being lifted, underneath the grind of stone on stone? Was that the key scraping in the lock?

As the black tendrils oozed their way out of the box, Kai opened his mouth to scream.


End file.
